DISH RESEARCH · Dish
Chhena poda
Also known as: Chenna poda, Odia baked cheese cake
Odia baked fresh-cheese cake with cardamom, cashews, raisins and a caramelized sugar crust.
About Chhena poda
Chhena Poda is Odisha's baked fresh-cheese dessert, its Odia name meaning roasted cheese. This profile follows Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy's paneer-based version with cardamom, cashews and raisins.
Fresh cheese and milk give the cake a mellow lactic richness, while sugar caramelizes into a deep toffee note. Cardamom adds floral warmth and roasted cashews and raisins bring nutty and fruity accents.
The cake has a dark amber caramelized surface and a pale, lightly speckled interior. Its centre is moist, dense and softly chewy, with cashew pieces and plump raisins throughout.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Milk, Wheat (gluten), Cashews.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Chhena poda
Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy's Odia Chhena Poda.
- GheePan coating and dairy richness
- Fresh paneerDense fresh-cheese base
- Confectioners' sugarSweetness in the cheese mixture
- Ground cardamomWarm floral aroma
- SemolinaTender cake structure
- Whole milkMoisture and dairy richness
- Roasted cashewsNutty pieces
- Golden raisinsSoft fruity sweetness
- Granulated sugarCaramelized crust
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Ghee:
- Fresh paneer: . The source specifies paneer; mapped to the established fresh-cheese route
- Confectioners' sugar:
- Ground cardamom:
- Semolina: . Semolina is a wheat product, so Wheat is declared explicitly
- Whole milk:
- Roasted cashews:
- Golden raisins:
- Granulated sugar:
Origins & food traditions
Chef Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy identify chhena poda as a sweetened paneer cake and provide the complete formula selected here. Epicurious separately locates the caramel-edged dessert in Odisha and explains its Odia name as roasted cheese.
Countries
- India
- IndiaCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- Indian Cuisine
- Odia Cuisine
- Odia CuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.